Pac-12 Set to Beat Up on Each Other, Just See Latest Power Rankings
As he sat for a postgame interview following a 27-24 loss at Oregon State, University of Washington football coach Jimmy Lake gave the standard refrain.
His coaches have to coach better, and put the Husky players in better position to win.
Lake then paused for a second and offered a different take, one referencing the Pac-12 as a whole.
"There was a huge shakeup across the whole Pac-12 today with all the wins and losses and all the other teams," Lake said. "I think it's going to be like this every single week, it's going to be like this every week. It's very equal across the board."
So five weeks into the season, no conference teams have unbeaten records. Just three have a single loss.
While the College Football Playoff berth for the Pac-12 no longer appears to be a viable goal, and USC and Washington headed for down seasons, league teams are prepared to beat each other into submission to settle things.
You need look no farther than the Sports Illustrated roundtable of Pac-12 site publishers and their latest power rankings.
See who's No. 1 and 3, and tell you felt this would happen all along.
SI PAC-12 FOOTBALL POWER RANKINGS
1. Arizona State (2) 4-1, 2-0 67 points
2. Oregon (3) 4-1, 1-1 65
3. Oregon State 4-1, 2-0 60
4. Stanford (1) 3-2, 2-1 59
5. UCLA 3-2, 1-1 48
6. Utah 2-2, 1-0 41
7. USC 3-2, 2-2 38
8. Washington State 2-3, 1-2 26
9. Washington 2-3, 1-1 25
10. Cal 1-4, 0-2 19
11. Colorado 1-4, 0-2 14
12. Arizona 0-4, 0-1 6
DONNIE DRUIN, ALL SUN DEVILS
1. Stanford; 2. Arizona State; 3. Oregon State; 4. Oregon; 5. UCLA; 6. USC; 7. Utah; 8. Washington State; 9. Washington; 10. Colorado; 11. Cal; 12. Arizona
Comment: The Pac-12 is as open as ever thanks to Stanford upsetting Oregon, although the Ducks are still probably favorites to win the conference. After upsetting UCLA, ASU hosts Stanford in what might be the biggest conference game to date.
JAKE CURTIS, CAL SPORTS REPORT
1. Oregon; 2. Arizona State, 3. Oregon State; 4. Stanford, 5. UCLA, 6. Utah; 7. USC; 8. Washington; 9. Washington State; 10. Cal 11. Colorado; 12. Arizona
Comment: Oregon’s resume is still better than anyone else’s with that win over Ohio State as its hole card. Oregon State may not be the third-best team, but I love the story of the Beavers season so far, so I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt until they get exposed.
MAX TORRES, DUCKS DIGEST
1. Arizona State; 2. Oregon State; 3. Stanford; 4. Oregon; 5. UCLA; 6. USC; 7. Utah; 8. Washington; 9. Washington State; 10. Cal; 11. Colorado; 12. Arizona
Comment: Oregon had looked questionable in all of its wins other than Ohio State and finally got exposed by a good Stanford team. Arizona State looks like they’re for real and could take firm control of the South after beating UCLA. It’s shaping up to be another year of chaos in the Pac-12. Did you expect anything different?
SAM CONNON, ALL BRUINS
1. Arizona State; 2. Oregon; 3. Oregon State; 4. Stanford; 5. Utah; 6. UCLA; 7. USC; 8. Washington State; 9. Washington; 10. Cal; 11. Colorado; 12. Arizona
Comment: In classic UCLA fashion, the Bruins choked away a prime opportunity to claim the top spot in the conference, allowing the Sun Devils to step up in their place instead. Oregon played bottom feeder Arizona close last week and then lost to Stanford the week after, so they clearly are not as untouchable as they seemed after the Ohio State game. The Pac-12 is very much wide open, so even with just one quality win to this point, Arizona State is currently in the best position out of anyone in the conference, almost by default.
CLAUDETTE MONTANA PATTISON, ALL TROJANS
1. Oregon; 2. Arizona State; 3. Stanford; 4. UCLA; 5. Oregon State; 6. Utah; 7. USC; 8. Washington State; 9. Cal; 10. Colorado; 11. Washington; 12. Arizona
Comment: The USC Trojans found some momentum in Boulder, Colorado on Saturday defeating the Buffaloes 37-14. The win certainly sparked some much needed life back into the program, as they prepare for the Utah Utes this week.
DAN RALEY, HUSKY MAVEN
1. Oregon; 2. Oregon State; 3. Arizona State; 4. Stanford; 5. UCLA; 6. Utah; 7. USC; 8. Washington; 9. Cal; 10. Washington State; 11. Colorado; 12. Arizona
Comment: Forget the CFP, it's a mad scramble to decide the West. It might be a Willamette Valley Bronx Series. Whoever wins Oregon is going to claim ultimate bragging rights. It's all in a 40-mile radius from Corvallis to Eugene. The league champion is going to have two losses.
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